Abstract
In the bending operation, springback causes geometrical
inaccuracies of bent parts. To curb springback, various factors such
as bending parameters and material properties need to be considered.
This paper reports the effects of springback on mechanically formed
steel plates. Experimental work using circular bending was conducted
to analyse the effect of springback on the formed steel sheets. The
sheets were bent using a punch and die having a radius of curvature
of 120 mm. In addition, the formed samples were characterized
through microstructure, microhardness and tensile results. The results
revealed an error due to springback of 4.24%. Furthermore, the
Vickers microhardness of the formed samples compared to the parent
materials shows an increase of 6% while the Ultimate Tensile
Strength also increased by 7%. The effects of strain hardening
resulting from the bending process led to the increased hardness and
strength of the material. The formed samples had elongated grains
when compared to the equiaxed grains of the parent material. The
increase in the grains can be attributed to the stretching of the
material during the bending process.